“Last weekend I decided on an impromptu trip for eels – one of the few species that are still shrouded in mystery – and landed this new personal best weighing 5lb 2oz.
“The bite came just as dawn was breaking, so after landing it I decided to rest the fish for an hour in the landing net to get a daylight photo.
“While it sat in the net, it coughed up quite a few maggots it had eaten before capture, and because it only beat my PB by 2oz, I’m glad I weighed it immediately after landing rather than wait until we took the photos!
“The fish fell to a couple of lobworms fished over a pint of dead red maggots.”
Jamie Cartwright – 5lb 2oz eel